Lake City Church started with a membership of 20 people which within two years had grown to 300, and adopted the name "Destiny Church". Destiny Church now has a network of 19 churches located throughout New Zealand, and in Brisbane, Australia, with a total membership in excess of 10,000. The church provides not only religious guidance but also a range of social services including budget advice, support for drug addicts and provision of food and housing. The church also operates a primary school [2] .
The church culture appears Pentecostal, and adheres to a literal application of Biblical practices
The church's leadership demand strict obedience to its teachings [5] and its rhetoric has alienated other churches that have different approaches to Christianity. Observers have been concerned by Tamaki's outspoken autocratic style, the church's frequent appeals for tithe contributions, and its insular culture [6] . Some observers have also commented on Tamaki's visible wealth and personal luxury, questioning its consistency with the church's tithing system
On his website "New Zealand: A Nation Under Siege" Tamaki has declared the government of New Zealand to be "inherently evil" [8] , pointing out that some members of Parliament chose not to swear on the Bible, and one (Ashraf Choudhary) swore on the Qur'an, when being sworn in to government. In a later interview [9] , Tamaki said Destiny was ready to wage war on "secular humanism, liberalism, relativism, pluralism", on "a Government gone evil", on the "modern-day witchcraft" of the media, and on the "radical homosexual agenda".
On October 29, 2008 3 News reported that Destiny Church was planning on building a 'holy city' in South Auckland. The report was based on comments made by Brian Tamaki at the church's 10th birthday celebration, and released on DVD, where he talks about a 10 acre site the church had procured, with a budget of $2.4m. He said the community would have its own maraes and medical facilities and that "every child of every member of this church will never go to a state school again". [12]
The church subsequently denied the report, a spokesperson saying they only intended to build a new headquarters and supply "social help" programmes, despite Rotorua's Daily Post quoting Tamaki as saying Destiny planned to create a "city within a city" in 2006. [13]
